Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue. This is a very nice blue ink, a little brighter and more fun than a typical standard blue, but not so bright or “notice me!” that it grows tiring or seems too loud for serious work. It’s also easy to clean and well-behaved in my pens.
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Fountain Pen Follies 
Thanks for a fine review! I particularly liked to comparison inks.
I realise I am a few years after the original review, but just to add my “pennyworth”, the Minatojima Island Blue is, IMHO, one of the finest blues around- with that subtle shading that gives the writing on the page real depth. My other “essential blues” are Sailor Kobe 14 Maya Lapis and Iroshizuku Asa-Gao: all are deep, strong blue with wonderful ‘lift’…
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Have you tried KWZ Chicago Blue our pen show blue? That’s good, too!
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Yes, that is just too far for me to go. If I could, I would. What’s this about OUR 300 Ink Sample Array? Wow, that would be awesome to see in itself.
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At the Chicago Pen Show, we have a free ink testing station, with 300 pens filled with ink.
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Wow, that is really cool. I would have a field day doing that for sure! Something tells me my wish list would grow by leaps and bounds too!
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Excellent review! It looks like a really nice ink to have. I love seeing comparisons too. I have never tried Visconti Blue. (or Aurora-Blue for that matter) I will eventually sample these colors mentioned. (except Parker Penman Sapphire-can’t afford that one, or the Bung Box ink)
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Come see me at the Chicago Pen Show in three short months, and I will personally give you samples of PPS, Aurora Blue and Visconti Blue. I know, it’s a little out of your way, but you never know. 🙂
This does give me the idea to maybe donate some of my PPS to our 300-ink-sample array at the show, so more people can try it. Though maybe people would prefer all current inks.
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As to your last comment: it is *really* an unusual phenomenon that was witnessed at the SF show. There are those that really appreciate the addition of “unobtainium” inks, and relish the chance to try them, see them in use in person, and have a sample of it in their notebooks; there are also those that became somewhat unhinged when they found out that this really cool ink THAT THEY JUST USED RIGHT OVER THERE couldn’t be purchased at the show, or pretty much anywhere else. It kind of falls into the “this is why we can’t have nice things” category.
I mean, I think it’s a great idea to include these, but just be aware of an occasional negative reaction. You can always show them the door… 🙂
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This was my first try with a Sailor Kobe ink, and I really like it. I appreciate how thoroughly you explain what it is like. I knew I liked it, but now I understand much better why that is.
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Thank you very much for this comment. It really made my day. 🙂
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I missed that one, but now will have another object of desire …
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